Croquetas de jamon

Imagine the scene: We're sitting outside a bar in Granada on a hot, sultry evening.  There's a glass of chilled fino each and a small plate of croquetas de jamón on the table.  Across the road is a dance studio - we watched a stream of young girls arrive for their lessons, brought by glamorous mothers wearing large sunglasses, heels clattering on the cobbles.  Now we can hear the patter-patter of the girls' feet through the open window, ever so slightly out of time with the music.

A group of people walk past - a cloud of chatter, laughter and cigarette smoke slowly dissipates. We'll stay here a while before moving on somewhere else for a glass of red wine and something else to nibble on but we won't be out late.  Tomorrow, we're up early to make the long climb up the hill to the Alhambra before the sun makes the walk unbearable.  We'll spend the day wandering round amazed at the architecture, the tile work and the life-affirming calmness of the Generalife.  Somehow, everything at the top of that hill is magnified - the heat of the sun, the coolness of the shade, the crystal clarity of the trickling waters.

But back to the croquetas - still warm from the fryer, their crumb coating is crisp and golden, the creamy middle thick with flecks of jamón and scented with bay and cloves.  They were made fresh today by the bar owner's mother who learned the recipe from her mother and so back in time.  Their flavour is subtle but rich, the fino perfectly chilled and refreshing...

Sadly, we're not in Granada, not even close.  We're in Surrey on a warm Saturday evening.  But we've got the sherry and we've got the croquetas - the recipe handed down not from mother to mother but from the Moro cookbook...

The book says that in the restaurant, they simmer ham bones in milk but that's impractical at home - I disagree.  A recent trip to Brindisa gave me a whole bone sawed into handy 4 inch lengths which went in the freezer for emergencies such as this.

Croquetas de jamón

800ml milk
1/2 large onion studded with 5 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns
2  3-4" lengths of jamon bone with some meat still on
100g butter
150g plain flour
3 eggs
250g white breadcrumbs
sunflower oil for deep frying

Bring the milk, onion, bay, peppercorns and ham bones to a gentle simmer and leave for a couple of minutes.  Remove from the heat but keep warm.

In a separate pan, melt the butter and stir in the flour to make a roux.  Cook gently to cook out the taste of raw flour.  Strain the milk - keeping the jamon bones back - into the roux and beat with a wooden spoon to create a thick, smooth white sauce.  Allow to cook gently - stirring often - while you strip the meat from the bones.  Shred the meat finely and add to the white sauce.

Pour the sauce into a baking tray and place in the fridge to set - at least an hour. 

When set, the fun really begins.  Beat the eggs in a bowl and have the crumbs on a large plate.  With two dessert spoons, take a spoonful of the mix, shape it into a rough quenelle, dip into the egg.  Now, still using the spoons - drop into the crumbs.  Coat completely with the breadcrumbs and form into even fat sausage shapes - with your hands this time.  Place them on a tray lined with baking parchment or greaseproof paper.  You should form about 24 croquetas.

Place in the fridge to firm-up - another hour or so.  Heat the oil to the point where a cube of bread bubbles as it's dropped in and turns golden within a minute or so.  Now add the croquettas - a few at a time so as not to bring down the temperature - and fry until deeply golden.  Remove and place on kitchen paper to drain.  Now pour that sherry, sit back and think of Granada...

tags: moro  spain  

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